LONDON -- Jay DeMerit made a successful return to professional soccer this week after a three-month injury layoff.

The U.S. defender, who had surgery to replace a cornea in his right eye on Oct. 17, took the field for Watford on Monday. He helped his team beat Queens Park Rangers 3-1 in England's second-tier league.

DeMerit said in a phone interview that it's been "a good few months [away], so the fans and myself were itching for me to get back out there."

The 30-year-old DeMerit had not played since Aug. 29. He needed surgery on his cornea after it became infected when something got stuck under a contact lens.